Amy Schumer says she had her uterus and appendix removed to treat endometriosis
- Amy Schumer had her uterus and appendix removed to treat endometriosis, she said on Instagram.
- She said the doctor found 30 lesions and that the condition attacked her appendix.
- Endometriosis is a common condition causing painful periods and sex, and sometimes infertility.
Amy Schumer said she is recovering after undergoing surgery to remove her uterus and appendix due to endometriosis.
Endometriosis is a chronic condition in which uterine-like tissue grows in the pelvic cavity outside the uterus, causing painful painful periods, pain during sex, spotting, and sometimes fertility issues.
In an Instagram post recorded the morning after her surgery, Schumer said "the doctor found 30 spots of endometriosis that he removed. He removed my appendix because the endometriosis had attacked it."
"There was a lot, a lot of blood in my uterus and I'm, you know, sore and I have some, like, gas pains," the 40-year-old actress and comedian continued.
Schumer said she could already feel a change in her energy, though, and wrote on Instagram that "if you have really painful periods, you may have endometriosis."
Endometriosis can be managed with medications, lifestyle changes, and sometimes surgery
Endometriosis affects 1 in 10 women of reproductive age, including celebrities like Julianne Hough, Chrissy Teigen, and Padma Lakshmi. It's likely underdiagnosed as the symptoms can be mistaken for other conditions or brushed off as just bad periods.
The lesions typically grow on the outside of the uterus, but can also spread to the ovaries, fallopian tubes, pelvic lining, bladder, bowel, intestines, and rectum, Jennifer Larson previously wrote for Insider.
There's no cure, but treatments can include medications like over-the-counter pain relievers and changes in birth control. Non-pharmaceutical options like acupuncture and changes in diet, exercise, and even sex positions can help manage endo too.
If those treatments aren't enough, women may undergo surgery, either to remove individual lesions or entire organs.
For Schumer, the surgery means she'll no longer be able to carry a pregnancy, but she'd already said she "could never be pregnant again" after undergoing "really tough" rounds of IVF. She had her son Gene David with husband Chris Fischer in May 2019.